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New York Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Stocks Tread Cautiously as Investors Watch Oil Prices
Stocks and bond investors traded cautiously on Monday as the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day. The two countries exchanged new attacks amid pleas by officials from around the world to scale back hostilities. European and U.S. leaders spoke with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday to try to de-escalate tensions. Stocks in Asia and Europe were mostly higher on Monday. Futures for the S&P 500, which indicate how the index might perform when trading begins in New York, were up 0.5 percent. Oil prices, which have had a more discernible response to the fighting, were choppy. An early rise in the price of Brent crude, the primary global benchmark, faded, with prices roughly flat in the European morning, at around $74 per barrel. Oil prices gained almost 12 percent last week. After Israel's initial attack on Friday, and Iran's response, both countries continued to launch missiles at each other over the weekend. Israel attacked parts of Iran's energy infrastructure — including one of the world's largest natural gas fields, and an oil refinery. But the attacks had spared the Kharg Island facility, from which nearly all of Iran's oil exports are shipped. Analysts caution that Iran could threaten oil exports out of the Persian Gulf, by choking off shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. That would severely disrupt energy markets, and could push prices sharply higher. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UK's Starmer discussed Ukraine war with leaders of US, Italy, France and Germany, Downing Street says
May 18 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday discussed the war in Ukraine with leaders of the U.S., Italy, France and Germany, a Downing Street spokesperson said. The leaders also discussed the use of sanctions if Russia failed to engage seriously in a ceasefire and peace talks, the spokesperson added.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bitcoin Nears $100K as Trump Teases ‘Big' Trade Deal
Bitcoin zoomed close to $100,000 early Thursday as President Donald Trump said a tariff deal with a 'big, highly respected country' is to be announced soon. Trump will hold a 'major' trade deal news conference at 10 a.m. ET, where the announcement is supposed to be the 'first of many.' The identity of the country involved remains unclear. Still, some reports say it is believed to be the U.K. Easing tariffs could soften inflationary pressures and improve the backdrop for investing in crypto, tech, and other high-beta assets. Bitcoin has gained more than 5% in the past 24 hours, extending its weeklong rally as macroeconomic conditions improve. A combination of falling bond yields, a weakening dollar, and renewed institutional flows into spot bitcoin ETFs has fueled upward momentum. The announcement also comes amid rising political pressure on U.S. leaders to counter China's growing influence and revive domestic manufacturing. While full details remain under wraps, any rollback of tariffs could quickly buoy prices of risk assets.
